Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey has paid tribute to Kai Havertz after the Liverpool target shattered a 57-year-old Bundesliga record this weekend, speaking to the league’s official website.
It is not just the amount of goals this fresh-faced sensation scores which marks him out as a truly special talent – it is the variety of them too.
Since German football returned to our TV screens a fortnight ago, Havertz has found the net four times in three games.
There was those two glorious headers against Werder Bremen, that tidy one-touch finish against Monchegladbach and, on Saturday, a supreme effort from the tightest of angles as the Leverkusen talisman finished off a move he started with a typical flourish.
That was Havertz’s 35th goal already in the top flight of German football. No other player in the Bundesliga’s almost 60-year history has found the target so prolifically before the age of 21.
Klaus Fischer, the legendary Klaus Fischer, could do nothing but watch on in awe as his long-standing record fell by the wayside.
“He’s very, very talented – I think we all know that,” said the £85 million-rated Leverkusen forward Bailey, clearly thrilled to be sharing a dressing room with arguably the most talented young midfielder on the continent.
“Anything is possible once you work hard. I think Havertz is a very hardworking player. He’s smart, and very intelligent on the pitch.
“I hope he continues to do this and help the team as much as possible because we need him.”
How much longer Leverkusen will be able to rely on a man so frequently compared to Bayer legend Michael Ballack remains to be seen. The Express reports that Jurgen Klopp has made Havertz Liverpool’s number one transfer target and a series of match-winning displays in the last two weeks will have done little to change the mind of a Champions League winning coach.
Then again, with Leverkusen refusing to budge on their £100 million price-tag, Liverpool may be forced to wait a further 12 months if they want Havertz at Anfield. After all, big-money transfers like this will be few and far between over the this year.
By the time the summer of 2021 arrives, Havertz might have a few more Bundesliga records under his belt.
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